


Pies, Music, & Cowboy Hats

by Taybay14



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Brokeback Mountain References, Castiel Has a Crush on Dean Winchester, Castiel is a dork, Cowboy Hats, Crush, Cute, First Kiss, Fluff, Human Castiel (Supernatural), Music, Oblivious Dean Winchester, Pies, Pining, Sam Winchester Ships Castiel/Dean Winchester, Shenanigans, Virgin Castiel (Supernatural), castiel watches brokeback mountain, poor Sam stuck in the bunker with these two idiots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-08-20 08:51:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20225128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taybay14/pseuds/Taybay14
Summary: Castiel figures out what love is by accident.He’s sitting with Sam late one night in the bunker, the two of them sharing a drink, and Sam begins to talk about Jess. It’s rare he brings her up, but it’s been happening a lot lately. Castiel thinks it’s because they have a home now. They’re all settling into something permanent. Sometimes the conversation is somber, Castiel sitting quietly as Sam talks and cries. Other times, like tonight, the conversation is joyful. These are Castiel’s favorite. Sam lights up brilliantly.As Castiel listens to Sam gush about Jess, he begins to make connections.-- The one where Sam helps Castiel seduce Dean with pie, music, and cowboy hats (& Dean is an oblivious idiot)





	Pies, Music, & Cowboy Hats

Castiel figures out what love is by accident. 

He’s sitting with Sam late one night in the bunker, the two of them sharing a drink, and Sam begins to talk about Jess. It’s rare he brings her up, but it’s been happening a lot lately. Castiel thinks it’s because they have a home now. They’re all settling into something  _ permanent _ . Sometimes the conversation is somber, Castiel sitting quietly as Sam talks and cries. Other times, like tonight, the conversation is joyful. These are Castiel’s favorite. Sam lights up brilliantly. 

As Castiel listens to Sam gush about Jess, he begins to make connections. 

When Sam says: “I used to yell at her all the time because she would leave things everywhere. I’m serious, Cas.  _ Everywhere _ . I’d find her sunglasses in the bathroom. A mug still half-full of coffee on top of the dryer in the laundry room. And her phone! She was  _ always  _ losing her phone. It drove me nuts, but it made me smile at the same time. I loved that about her. It was something I actually ended up missing after she died. No more little random reminders of her around the house.”

Castiel thinks: He’s always finding Dean’s things in the strangest of places. A knife on the edge of the pool table. His walkman in the dungeon. Porn magazines in the kitchen. 

When Sam says: “Jess’ secret weapon was making me feel safe. I grew up scared every single second, ya know? I grew up knowing monsters were real. Knowing they were after us. Knowing that with every move, every new hotel room, every new hunt, my dad might not come home. Then my dad and Dean might not come home. Then the three of us not coming home. Jess was this constant safety. I could sit beside her and finally just breathe. Finally just  _ be _ .”

Castiel thinks: He gave up everything, went against all that he believed in, for Dean. He had never felt more vulnerable or afraid. There wasn’t a plan anymore. There wasn’t order. Castiel had nothing to hold onto. Except Dean. Dean was his safety. He still is. Castiel can sit beside him and feel at peace. With Dean, Castiel learned how to just  _ be _ . 

When Sam says: “Whenever she walked into a room, my heart would race.”

Castiel thinks: Even as an angel, when his heart didn’t need to beat to live, Dean made it feel as if his heart was trying to escape his chest. 

When Sam says: “The first time I kissed her, my entire world flipped into something good. Something worth living.”

Castiel thinks: I need to kiss Dean. 

And he realizes, in that moment, that he understands what love is. For Castiel, it’s Dean.

  
  


\---- 

  
  


Castiel knows what Dean loves, and he wants to make himself one of those things. He wants Dean to realize that his own definition of love is Castiel. 

He plans. Sam helps. 

  
  


\----

Dean loves pie. So, Castiel learns to make it. The first time he does this, his blueberry pie catches fire in the oven, something Sam told him he didn’t know actually happened in real life. The second time he does this, Sam takes a bite of the apple pie and makes a face, then pulls out a long string. Castiel didn’t know he was supposed to peel the apples first. The third time, the crust of his pecan pie is soggy and underbaked. The fourth time, Castiel gets it right. The apple pie turns out golden brown and tasty. Castiel practices it two more times to make sure it’s perfect. Then he serves Dean the pie for dessert one night, after the three of them have eaten dinner. 

Dean looks at it, his fork in his hand, then gives Castiel a strange smile. “Did you make this, Cas?”

“Yes.” Castiel feels himself blush, his least favorite part of being human now. “I learned how from videos online. They are your favorite, and I wanted to make you happy.”

“Oh.” Dean glances at Sam, then at the pie. “Thank you, Cas. I bet it’s delicious.”

Castiel scurries off to the kitchen before he can embarrass himself further. When he peeks out ten minutes later, Dean’s on his second piece of pie, grinning at Sam while they talk. 

  
  


\---- 

  
  


Dean loves classic rock. So, Castiel listens to as much as he can. Dean has a Pink Floyd shirt, so Castiel listens to every album they have. Whenever Dean and Sam argue about the radio, Dean talks about Led Zeppelin. Castiel looks them up on the internet. He begins to listen to the classic rock station in his car and bedroom. Castiel figures out favorite songs and favorite bands. Then, one night, he plays classic rock while him, Dean, and Sam are in the library doing research. 

Dean looks up at Castiel as he walks away from the radio and sits back down. “Since when do you listen to this kind of music?” 

Acting casual, Castiel shrugs. “For a while. This isn’t one of my favorites though. I like Pink Floyd, but this isn’t that great in my opinion.”

“What?” Dean closes his book and sits back in his chair, staring at Castiel in shock. “Do that again.”

“Do what again?”

“Talk - talk ‘bout Pink Floyd. Or somethin’ like that. About the music.”

Castiel gives him a confused look, but does as told. “Well, my favorite Pink Floyd song is  _ Comfortably Numb. _ I know it’s kind of depressing, but most of their music is anyway. My favorite album of theirs is  _ The Wall _ . It’s all about breaking the social order and sticking it to the man and, for obvious reasons, I enjoy that.”

The sound Dean makes in the back of his throat is unfamiliar to Castiel. The man leans forward, then back again. He licks his lips as his eyes scan every available inch of Castiel. Then he suddenly stands up and nearly runs out of the room. Castiel swears he hears him mumble under his breath, “He likes Pink Floyd.”

  
  


\----

  
  


Dean loves cowboys. So, Castiel searches on the internet for [ _ Cowboys Movies Two Men Love] _

He finds a movie called  _ Brokeback Mountain _ . It sounds rather good, so he buys it on their Amazon account. The first time he watches it, he finds himself in the bed sobbing after. He’s not just grieving for the characters, but grieving for himself. What if he and Dean never get together? Never finally take that step? Castiel can’t die without knowing what it feels like to kiss Dean Winchester. To at the very least look him in those bright green eyes and admit he’s in love with him. 

Castiel watches the movie seven more times. By this point, he is determined. This is the end game. He’s sticking to this until he gets Dean. It doesn’t matter how long it takes. 

He buys a cowboy hat and a harmonica, then sneaks one of Dean’s flannels from the laundry room, putting them both on and going into the living room where Sam and Dean are sitting watching TV. 

Sam chokes when he sees him, turning his face away to hide the fact that he’s grinning ear to ear. Castiel had mentioned he watched  _ Brokeback Mountain _ , but Castiel had not shared with him the rest of the plan. 

He can’t wait to see Dean’s reaction. 

When Dean glances away from the TV to look at Castiel, he does a double take. His eyes lock onto the flannel. It has a missing button toward the bottom. Dean’s never gotten around to sewing on a new one. 

“Is that… my shirt?”

“Yes. It’s quite comfortable.” Castiel anxiously fiddles with the collar. “It goes great with my hat, too.”

“Your - yes. Your hat.” Dean clears his throat and smiles weakly. “You look great, Cas.”

“Thank you.”

Two days later, Castiel still in his cowboy hat and yet another of Dean’s flannels, they’re hunting a nest of vampires. They find out that the vampires are working with the werewolves in town, doubling the danger. Castiel puts his hands on his hips and sighs. 

“You know friends, this is a god damn bitch of an unsatisfactory situation,” Castiel quotes, even adding a slight drawl to match the character from  _ Brokeback Mountain _ .

Dean looks at him strangely, but agrees. 

The next day, after they’ve handled the monsters and Dean has once again almost gotten himself killed, Castiel hovers over Dean on the motel bed and checks his injuries. His eyes burn. His cowboy hat starts to fall off. 

“It kills me every time you get hurt,” Castiel admits, his voice trembling. “I wish I knew how to quit you.”

Dean recognizes the quote immediately. He blinks back his own tears as he tries to process what’s happening between them. 

With a sad smile, Castiel fixes his hat and leaves the room. 

It’s a week later that Castiel and Dean find themselves only inches apart on the couch. The TV is playing one of Dean’s favorite cooking competitions. They’ve been binge-watching it for hours, eating pizza and drinking beer. Sam is conveniently gone. He figured maybe Dean would crack if he was out of the bunker. 

Halfway through an episode, Dean reaches up and takes Castiel’s hat off. When Castiel looks at him in both confusion and fear, Dean explains himself, putting the hat off to the side as he says, “This way you can actually sit back and relax. Sitting ramrod straight can’t possibly be comfortable.”

“Oh.” Castiel relaxes into the cushion, a smile pulling at his lips. “Yes. Much more comfortable. Thank you.”

Dean beams at him. “Of course.”

The two continue to stare at each other, just inches apart, and breathe. For seconds. For eternity. 

Dean whispers, “I liked this. Tonight. It was nice.”

Despite not having his hat on, Castiel pulls out another quote. “Ya know it could be like this, just like this, always.”

Dean’s eyes flick to Castiel’s lips. Then he releases a soft laugh and pulls away. He stares at the TV for a few of the tensest seconds of Castiel’s life before launching to his feet and mumbling about needing another beer. 

Throughout all of this, Castiel is playing the harmonica in the bunker. Morning, day, and night. He plays it while they do research. He plays it while Sam cooks dinner. He plays it while Dean washes Baby. He plays it when Sam and Dean are trying to sleep. 

One night, a few days after the almost kiss in the living room, Castiel is playing his harmonica in his bedroom while Sam and Dean are at the map table talking strategy for a hunt. After two very long sighs, Sam finally looks up at his brother, points a finger in the direction of Castiel’s bedroom, and growls, “Fucking hell, Dean. Go kiss him before I take that harmonica and shove it up your ass.”

Dean sputters, his face bright red. He opens his mouth but Sam puts his hand up, shaking his head no. “Don’t even, Dean. I can not eat burnt pies, or listen to every fucking classic rock album, or watch  _ Brokeback Mountain  _ with him, or see that god damn obnoxious cowboy hat, anymore. I just can’t. For my sanity, brother, grow some balls and go be with him.”

  
  


\---- 

  
  


Castiel is halfway through a song on his harmonica when Dean storms in, slamming the door behind himself. He rips the harmonica away from Castiel, knocks off the cowboy hat, and grabs Castiel’s face between his two strong hands. Dean’s never been very good with words, so he settles for the thing he knows he’s great at. He presses his lips to Castiel’s and kisses the hell out of him. 

**Author's Note:**

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